This book. Wow. There's a lot and I feel like I need to speak to each and every bit of work that Olivia Dade is doing in this phenomenal romance. Because this will be long, I'll put the TL;DR here: sexy contemporary romance from the author whose books always feel like a warm hug. Great fat representation, discussion of learning disabilities and toxic family relationships, centered on the trope of a hidden identity. Highly recommended 5 stars.

CW include fat shaming, dismissal of learning disabilities, toxic family, family estrangement, nasty Twitter interactions.

Let's start with the overview. April is a geologist, who is a big fan of a top TV show, Gods of the Gates. She is an active writer of fan fiction, and runs a fandom server. April is also fat. Fat is an adjective, not a noun, and definitely not a pejorative. How people react to that, however, has led to April hiding her fandom from her work colleagues, and a broken relationship with her parents. Marcus is the actor playing the main character in Gods of the Gates, the hottest show on TV. He's been writing fan fic himself, and is friends with April on the fandom server, without her knowing who he actually is. If anyone were to learn his true identity, he'd be in big trouble in Hollywood. Marcus is fit and gorgeous. He is also dyslexic but almost no one knows that. Instead he keeps his public persona focused on his looks and fitness, so he never has to read or answer unexpected questions. He, too, has a broken relationship with his parents. In a twist on Twitter, April and Marcus end up on a date, not knowing that each is the friend on the GofTG server. The attraction is mutual and instant. But this leads to a hidden identity complication for Marcus. And the story takes off from here.

Dade unflinchingly addresses how our society so poorly behaves towards fat people, head on. April is glorious. She is smart and funny and interesting and sexy. April being fat shamed on Twitter is the spur that leads to her date with Marcus. April has also been fat shamed by dates, is fearful of reactions of coworkers, and was regularly shamed by her father, with her mother shaming her in the guise of worry for her health or concern over how others will react. Her mother never sees that it is is HER reaction that is the one hurting April. All of that is centered in her mother's own insecurities and own toxic relationship with April's father. It is not on April. And eventually April says all that and stands her ground. It is one of the strongest and most heart wrenching scenes in the story. April also owns her fandom with new coworkers, who are fully accepting. Then she claims her space with her server friends, and with the GofTG fandom in general. In short, this is not poor April being beat down by the ugly in the world and Marcus loves her in spite of being fat, kind of harmful rep. While April has some trust issues, we are watching her as a smart, funny, interesting, and sexy fat woman. This is great representation, done with care and it's beautiful.

Marcus is the dyslexic son of two classics professors. He grows up convinced he is worthless and stupid, because he struggles to learn and hears his parents say repeatedly that he's lazy, he's not trying, it's his fault. It's infuriating. Even after he's an adult and finally - finally - learns he has a learning disability, his self confidence is fragile. His coping mechanism with his parents was to be "the worst son ever" and that habit is hard to break. I don't blame him, because his parents are not supportive. Not of his career, not even ever of his learning disability. This is the one area in the story that felt slightly off - how could they not have known? Or had him tested? Or tried tutors? Or even once they knew, how could they continue to be such self centered assholes? And maybe that's the answer, they were just self centered assholes. In the mean time, Marcus has learned coping skills, as do many individuals with learning disabilities, so that they can move in the world. These skills have helped him to have a a successful acting career. I think it's important that Marcus is shown being successful with a learning disability. The dyslexia doesn't go away. Having personally seen educational systems try to say disabilities have disappeared (yes, it's enraging), I appreciate that Marcus is rather matter-of-factly shown living with his, He's a writer and a reader, two things that dyslexia makes hard. He's an actor, reading and learning and memorizing scripts. That's a big deal.

The twist is that with Marcus portrayed as excessively handsome, he's the one who is afraid that maybe April doesn't really see him. Is she just interested in him for the surface, because he's a handsome, famous actor? And will she accept him once she knows about his dyslexia? Marcus needs that overt acceptance and knowledge that he is seen for himself and is not just another pretty face. There are a few times Marcus has to make clear to April that he finds her sexy and loves being with her. It's never "even though you're fat" - though there are points of conflict when she believes he's trying to change her or fat shame her, he never actually is. Those times are just her own jumping to conclusions. Marcus accepts April. The twist is in him needing to learn to trust that she sees and accepts him. It's a nice switch up from the usual trope focused on the heroine trying to be "enough." Instead, Marcus has as many trust issues as April does.

Because I've mentioned both sets of parents and their complete levels of asshole, I'll reiterate that for both characters, Dade addresses the need to set boundaries and protect oneself through the relationships with the parents. That love of a parent doesn't mean you have to accept hurt. That a toxic parent does not need to hold space in your life. That forgiveness is earned, respect is earned, and it's a two way street, even when there is still love involved. These interactions were some of the most difficult and most emotional in the book. They aren't necessarily fully resolved, but each character made the right choice for them, and that's also realistic.

Now, the trope at the middle of the story is a secret identity. After the first date, Marcus knows who April is, but April doesn't know he's her friend from the fandom server. And whoo boy, hidden identity is usually not a favorite trope of mine. It often devolves into so many lies and false justifications that I spend all my time cringing. On my first reading, it kinda didn't land right for me but there wasn't a ton of lying other than by omission, so I could go with it because I loved so many other parts of the book. I decided to read it again and see if I still felt that way. Early in the book, April is deciding what to wear on the first date, so that she can (paraphrasing) entice Marcus into giving up the secrets of the GofTG upcoming season. Marcus does not tell April who he is for so long, because he can't risk hurting his career. Telling her show secrets would absolutely hurt his career, the career he has worked so hard for and overcome so much in order to be successful. It's not just about the job. When the big reveal happens, I think Dade could have spent more time bringing it back that April wanted him to do the very thing that he was trying to avoid, which in some ways justified his keeping his secret. Did he keep his identity secret too long? Yes. Was her anger justified? Yes. But he had the right to be angry, too, and that is not explored as much as I would have liked. But overall, on my reread I could accept the trope much more, particularly given the ending. The whole story wraps up in a way that allows April to finally see why Marcus did not tell her who he was. I really appreciated that kind of awareness from both characters. It doesn't end with an "OK, I'll get over it" type of wrap up. Instead, they both admit their mistakes and apologize and decide together to be together and move forward. That really makes all the difference with the trope.

One unusual format in the book is the use of interstitials and excerpts from the fandom server, fan fic, and some of Marcus' early acting work. I am not well versed in fan fiction, AO3, cosplay, fan cons, or any of it. So those sections were a little rough for me the first time, until I figured out what I was reading. Ultimately they operate sort of as flashbacks and backstory, One thing that I think they do that's great, is use the characters in the GofTG show as parallels for April and Marcus. In the show, the character Aeneas is the strong, handsome lead and Lavinia is his wife who is portrayed as ugly, loaded with trust issues. While April and Marcus are not exactly the same, there are parallels, especially with the trust. So I think those sections are an interesting way to magnify some of the issues April and Marcus both are struggling with, while also being backstory, flashbacks, and context.

The rest of it: Sexy times are on the page and hot, hot, hot. The pace of the story is excellent, though sometimes, as I said, I found the interstitials to be a little disruptive to the flow. Side characters are all very interesting and add both humor and depth. I really hate the parents and that's ok, they are the villains and I'm standing by that.

If you've made it this far, go read the book.

Gosh, this was a cute book. Olivia Dade really delivered on creating a sweet and emotional romance. I have to admit, I found the ending a bit rushed but satisfying none the less. Spoiler Alert is a really enjoyable and light read that promotes body positivity and the good ol' geek life! What more could I ask for?

Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed for a sequel focused on my main man Alex!

Two 'Gods Of The Gates' fanfic writers fall in love, one just happens to be the star of the show!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, one of my favorite romance books this year. The romance was a fun ride and even though it included some deception and miscommunication it was a realistic necessity to the story. The side characters, while not a huge presence in the book, were a funny bunch. The fantasy of dating one of your favorite actors is what really made this so enjoyable to read. And having a main character who is confident in her body but still insecure about how those she loves view her is very relatable.

April did have an 'all or nothing' attitude towards relationships that I didn't find healthy (with Marcus for hiding something, with her mother for talking with her about her weight). If you didn't follow her rules or agree with her then you were cut out of her life. I feel like she resolved that behavior with Marcus but encouraged him to follow her lead with his parents.

E-arc provided by NetGalley/HarperCollins Publishing/Avon in exchange for honest review.

Very cute, fun and swoony romance. I very much appreciated all the nerdy and pop culture references. These two characters are my people.

4.5 So Much Right Stars
* * * * 1/2 Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
There are certain things that deserve attention. When a story allows a woman to love herself, be confident in who she is even when she has been hearing from the beginning of time not to...That is a huge win in my book.

Then couple her with a man who is not afraid to be who he wants when he can, to make a life and deal with difficulty too, and find the necessary escape to handle all the pressure he feels. When you focus all the attention of a book on these people, you have a winner with me.

Olivia did all that and so much more. Her deft hand in dealing with so much that is part of our lives today made our characters human and smart. Each could hold their own. It totally worked and did not fall into all the pitfalls that it could have.

Good On You, Ms. Dade.

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Spoiler Alert is Olivia Dade’s Avon debut, and while she’s now once again working with a publisher, I’m pleased to see the same consistent quality I’ve come to expect from her, with a story with positive fat representation, and a balance of humor and social commentary, along with steamy romance.

April really resonated with me as a fat person who also engaged in different fandoms over the years, often finding lack of positive representation of fat people or really any other underrepresented group. I empathize with her thoughts on the fictional character of Lavinia due to her being described as not the ideal beauty in the books, and loved the commentary on how the adaptation changed it due to societal expectations.

Marcus was also a great character. I loved delving into his motivation for becoming an undercover fanfiction writer for his own show, even if it could destroy his career if it got out. And while he’s not perfect, making a few mistakes in his initial interactions with April, he does accept her and not want her to change, especially since, while she doesn’t know his secret, he’s aware of her journey as a fan of his show from the beginning, and his unknowing collaborator.

This is also such a fun read with its in-jokes about fandom, with the Gods of the Gates books and show being a thinly veiled reference to Game of Thrones, a series that also remains unfinished in book form, but also got more controversial and divisive in the final few seasons. And the interstitial moments, consisting of online chats, fic excerpts, book and episode related material and more are a lot of fun, and further flesh out this fun world of fandom.

This book is a bundle of joy, but it also has some heft to it, in typical Olivia Dade fashion. If you’ve loved her previous books, you’ll love this one. Or if you’re new to her books and are looking for a book with fat rep done right, then I strongly encourage you to pick this one up.

This is so cute! I wish the deception storyline wasn't resolved so late but otherwise I loved it. I wonder if someone unfamiliar with fandom would enjoy this book as much. I feel like I got a lot out of it BECAUSE I love fanfic/tumblr, so I don't know if others would like this premise as much.

Marcus Caster-Rupp is the star of Gods of the Gates! He also has a few secrets, one of them being that he writes fanfiction for his own show. He uses his fanfiction as a way to get his own frustrations out on the direction then characters take. April also has secrets! She is another fanfiction writer for God of the Gates and hides it from her real life. One day when she posts a tweet in her cosplay costume, trolls begin attacking her for her weight. Marcus comes to her defense.
I enjoyed the storyline and the writing. A few times during the book I laughed out loud at some of the things April said! I loved a book about cosplay, fanfiction, etc. it was also interesting to see how the characters felt with their pasts, parents and insecurities.

Read the book now!

I absolutely loved the book because it matches two fan fiction writers of Gods of the Gates where they become best friends so they can discuss the background of the series with someone that is as interested in the series as they are.

Trying to even describe Spoiler Alert is hard because there is bad folk music, fat shaming, and a lot of fan fiction of Gods of the Gates which both April Whittier and Marcus Caster-Rupp write for their own fun under pen names and some of the descriptions of the writing are worth reading.

You will cheer for April and want to smack Marcus when he is an idiot, but in the end they are a match made in geek heaven.

P.S. I want Alex and Lauren’s book now!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really hope that this book finds an audience - it's very sweet, and if a bit niche, it's a niche into which I fit pretty well!

In the past I've often been a bit let down by books which are specifically about fandom (mostly YA) as much as I've been drawn to them, but this seemed to strike a good note in that regard, and the fic/fandom related posts and the language used in regards to it felt authentic and not awkward to me. (Still, I ended up skipping quite a few of the interstitial scenes, and the fandom was a pretty obvious Game of Thrones insert, even though GoT explicitly exists in this world.)

Another aspect which I think the book manages to pull off is one half of the pairing having all the information while the other half is in the dark - when both partners have secrets or are trying to simultaneously manipulate each other, it feels somewhat balanced, but when it's only one-sided it is harder for me to find forgivable/appealing. However, Dade tempers this through the depth with which she portrays Marcus's insecurities. The way his background, upbringing, and current relationship with his parents are written is a painful highlight of the book, and the same is true for April and her parents.

Both leads were well-written, and I appreciated that the alternating POVs provided understanding of their mindsets in different moments, and that they continuously tried to better communicate throughout the book. Their friendship and romance felt really grounded and believable. April was a particular favorite of mine: I loved that she was in a somewhat unconventional field for either a romance heroine or a woman you might meet off the street (geology), and she had such an excellent balance of passion, strength, and genuinely human insecurity. The fat rep came off really well, and I thought it an interesting comparison to one of my other faves, Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, which also features a fat female/conventionally attractive male pairing. I also liked the side characters, though I wished they had been fleshed out a little more, both as individuals and in their relationships to the MCs.

I have quite a lot of older romance reading patrons and I'm not sure that this will tickle their fancies, but it's nicely written, sexy, and fun so I hope that it finds its way into the hands of many appreciative readers, even those who aren't fandom adjacent themselves. Recommend to those who enjoy contemporary romances along the lines of Jasmine Guillory, Jen DeLuca, Alisha Rai, Talia Hibbert etc.

For fans of Rainbow Rowell’s “Fangirl” with an adult twist! ⁣
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The heart, the steam, this book had it all! If you love a curvy heroine and misunderstood male lead you will love this!⁣
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April and Marcus both showed tremendous growth throughout the book. April dealing with her trust issues with her body image, and Marcus with his dyslexia and insecurities about his intelligence. ⁣
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This book is perfect for these upcoming cold mornings! Nothing like a good Rom-Com to warm you from the inside out! ⁣

I liked this relationship so much. I liked their individual growth, how they created and set new boundaries and just loved each other. There were a couple of conversations that rubbed me the wrong way. I’m sure it’s due to my dislike of any kind of miscommunication trope but there were a couple of moments that I struggled to keep going. Over all, a cute fun read.

After switching jobs, April was finally free to live her life out loud, and the first thing she wanted to share with the world was her love of Gods of the Gates by posting her cosplaying one of the characters. The picture went viral, and the trolls attacked. To her surprise, the handsome star of Gods of the Gates came to her defense and asked her for a dinner date. Was this just a publicity stunt or could it be the start of something special?

This was another fun one from Dade. The one thing I will never stop loving about her books is that they tend to feature a bit more mature heroine (April is 36) who is usually plus-sized. It's a nice to see this in a romance book, because I would like to think that EVERYONE is entitle to an HEA.

Obviously I liked many other things, and here are a few.

• April was fabulous. She was a super intelligent scientist, who knew she had a LOT to offer. I loved her confidence, and the way she didn't buy into so many of the societal standards. She went after what she wanted, but also protected herself by drawing clear boundaries. She showed her mettle multiple times in this story, and it was great to see.

• Marcus was such a sweetheart. My experiences with Dade's heroes have been wonderful. They tend to have a lot of depth. They are kind and considerate, while also being sexy and swoony. I loved that Marcus experienced so much growth over the course of this story too.

• Marcus and April were so different, yet they had a lot in common too. They existed in very different worlds, but both had family issues. April's parents were always on her about her weight and appearance, while Marcus was frowned upon as being of inferior intelligence. This was damage that had been done to them since they were kids, and it still affected them as adults. It was great to see them make progress with this "baggage" and support each other in their attempts to unpack some of it.

• It was fun being in the fandom. As with all fandoms, we saw the good and the bad parts, but Dade kept it mostly good. I liked the way she worked in some bits of fanfic as well as some of the message threads from their online chats. I got to be there as April worked on her costume, and I even went to a con! Good times!

• There were so many great supporting characters in this book. From Marcus' co-stars to April co-workers, Dade assembled a fun, quirky, and entertaining cast for me to love. They not only made me laugh, they made me happy, because they were great friends to Marcus and April.

• There are quite a few take-aways from this book, and my favorite was about not hiding your true self for whatever reason. April had to hide her love of Gods of the Gates, while Marcus had to hide his intelligence by playing the role of shallow, vapid Hollywood star. Both had to find the courage to show their true selves to the world, and it was amazing to see them finally find that freedom.

Overall, this was another sexy, swoony, and heartwarming romance from Dade. She perfectly combine fun and frothy with emotion to give me a perfectly balanced romance that left me with a warm heart and a smiling face.

Having read the Synopsis for this book I was so excited. Cosplay! Smart heroine! Older main characters! Going against how society views body image! Sign me up!!

I was in a love/hate relationship while reading this but that could just be my issue. I couldn’t really follow the cosplay and fan fiction written sections. Maybe because it’s something I am not a part of so it was hard for me to keep my interest in those sections. In other sections I really liked viewing the world of celebrities and how they have a persona to keep up. The relationship/relationships and the struggle the hero was dealing with kept me coming back despite my issues with the fan fic.

I will definitely be looking into Olivia Dade’s backlist now though.

Sweet, steamy, and full of fanfiction and fan culture. And with an unapologetically fat main character who still address the struggles of living in a world that hates fat bodies? What's not to like? I'm not usually a fan of celebrity romance, but this was really, really well handled and the peek into a very realistic fanfiction community was excellent. Great for fans of Jen DeLuca, Talia Hibbert, and any romance reader who got their start in fanfiction.

This was a frustrating read. I liked it, then I didn't, then I did, then I felt preached to. Both April and Marcus frustrated me several times. Usually there's one redeeming character.

I did enjoy a lot of parts of this. I can appreciate the commentary on fandom. There were some positive and healthy friendships. I especially liked Marcus' group of friends from his TV show. And his best friend Alex was probably my favorite. He was a funny side character. April is confident in who she is (mostly). Marcus is a nice guy (maybe too nice).

The romance was pretty good. It was also standard and predictable. I liked that April was comfortable in her sexuality and body (again, mostly).

One of things I liked was that Marcus and April were older than a lot of romance characters. But they were also immature-particularly when it came to their relationships with their parents. Maybe I read too much self-development, but they need to take some personal responsibility for the situation they are now in.

There was one specific scene that put me off. So maybe spoiler warning.

Marcus made a comment about working out together. Then April, already offended and trying to catch him in bad behavior, asked what food HE would eat. He names a bunch of healthy foods. Maintaining a specific physique is part of his job. A physique she seems to appreciate looking at I might add. April is then more offended because how dare he try to change her and her body. Even though he never did that. She is bringing her own baggage to this conversation. If that wasn't bad enough, he then "fixes" this issue by inviting her on a date of doughnut eating. That just feels like a stereotype. I would've been less bothered if they went on a fine-dining date since she loves good food. The whole thing really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Yes, people should mind their own business, but April is awfully judgey herself. She would probably be served well with a trip to a therapist.

I'm sure there are people who will love this and I'm happy for them. But it wasn't for me. I would consider reading another Olivia Date book, but I would probably get it from the library.

This book was adorable, and I love the cover. Basically, it's if the actor who played Jamie Lannister on "Game of Thrones" fell in love with a voluptuous (I hate to simply use the word "fat"), cosplaying geologist --and both don't know they've already been crushing on each other for years as anonymous co-writers of "Gods of the Gates" fanfic. Some of the side forays into scenes from Marcus' laughably bad previous film roles, as well as some passages of the more risque fanfic, is only a slight distraction. It's amazing how both sets of parents were awful and not happy for their children as they were; thankfully Marcus and April have each other's backs. As well as projecting body positivity, this book is a love letter to geek fandoms everywhere and the big-figured fangirls who inhabit them.

April Whittier is a geologist who is hiding a secret from her co-workers. Her secret? She is obsessed with the show Gods of the Gates, and spends much of her free time writing fan fiction. She's also a plus size woman and despite a lifetime of criticism from her mother, fully loves and embraces her curves. Days before starting a new job, she pledges to show all parts of herself to her new co-workers, and posts a picture on Twitter of herself in cosplay. Amidst the flurry of comments from haters arises a tweet from an unexpected source: Marcus, the star of the Gods of the Gates. He defends April's honor and asks her out on a date, and a romance begins to blossom. And Marcus is also hiding a secret of his own. He isn't the air headed actor he seems to be, and also enjoys writing Gods of the Gates fan fiction! This is a fun read on many levels, especially if you've ever fan-girled or boyed over your favorite show or book. If you've never written fan fiction or gone to a convention you'll get a taste of it through this book. It also deals with the very real complexities of being a plus size woman, the societal pressures, dating, and struggles or questions of acceptance within relationships.

I have loved just about everything I have read from Olivia Dade, but with Spoiler Alert she has leveled up. Across every aspect of Olivia's writing that I love (careful representation, characters with real, grounded complications, adults resolving conflicts in mature ways), this book just enhances and elevates her previous skills. Both April and Marcus have legitimate baggage (and some truly awful parents) but they work through it and there is no 'magic wand' fix that would feel disingenuous. April's work environment and evolving view of her body hit WAY too close to my heart in the best way. And while I normally have zero interest in Hollywood romances, Marcus broke my pre-conceived ideas and made me absolutely love him. If you love all things fanfic, or if like me you've never ventured into that space, Olivia will bring you into that arena with clear eyes on both the uplifting and harmful aspects therein. I'm also just amazed at her level of creativity, not only in recreating the fanfics, but the quick glimpses into Marcus' previous roles and how she managed to make each one a way to also move the story along. This is truly a 5 star read and as soon as I finished I wanted to start again and spend more time with these characters (while also impatiently anticipating Alex and Lauren's book - I'm already swooning just thinking about what Olivia will be able to do with those two)

Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert was a fun look fandom meets stardom with a romance that I wanted more from.

April had decided that she was done hiding herself. She created a fandom server and was a dedicated fanfiction writer but no one in her personal, IRL life knew that. A move and job change provided April the perfect opportunity to start sharing her true self. A few twitter trolls put her in the path of Marcus and the two hit it off almost immediately.

Spoiler Alert’s most endearing aspect was its portrayal of fandom. We readers know what it’s like to put a lot of time into a hobby and consider people we’ve never met in real life some of our closest friends. Spoiler Alert included excerpts from fandom chats and snippets from April’s fanfiction which gave Spoiler Alert a realistic edge. Spoiler Alert was also worth reading for its fat representation and protagonist April who refused to let anyone tell her how she should view herself and set boundaries.

Now unfortunately, I couldn’t get into the romance which is personal preference. Marcus and April had instant chemistry and were drawn to each other on the first date. I’m a reader who prefers a bit of build when it comes to relationships and Spoiler Alert was fluffy without making the reader work for it. So if you don’t mind characters diving into a relationship sooner rather than later, Spoiler Alert may be for you!